Geotourism
Photos: Bob Woodall
The National Geographic Society weighs in
A Yellowstone tour bus, circa 1930, departs Old Faithful Inn.
Blue Star Spring and Beehive Geyser (above); Opalescent Pool (top left)
In 1997 National Geographic senior editor Jonathan B. Tourtellot was asked for a term and concept more encompassing than “ecotourism” or “sustainable tourism.” So he and his wife, Sally Bensusen, put their heads together and coined the term “geotourism.” The National Geographic Society (NGS) defines geotourism as “tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place—its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the wellbeing of its residents.” This concept with a conscience has come to the Greater Yellow-
A roadside view in the Beartooth Mountains, looking down on Twin Lakes
6
M O U N TA I N C O U N T R Y A D V E N T U R E G U I D E 2 0 1 0
stone Ecosystem in a big way with the new Greater Yellowstone Geotourism Center (GYGC) in downtown Driggs, Idaho. “There is nothing else quite like it in the world,” says Teton Valley Chamber of Commerce booster Julie Brian. Which is just what you’d expect from the National Geographic Society. The site is not only a destination center for tourism, but an educational facility as well, housing exhibits on the region’s geological origins, Native Americans, explorers, traders, mountain men, art, and culture.